December 2017, The Association of Medical Research Charities published anew reportwhich signals the UK government’s intention to make it easier to facilitate the adoption of off-patent, repurposed medicines into NHS clinical practice.

Medical research is increasingly focusing on how existing medicines, licensed for use in treating particular conditions, can also be investigated for use in treating other conditions.

Apomorphine is one such medicine. Out of patent it’s used to treat Parkinson’s Disease and currently being investigated for smoking ceesation. As the history on this website shows it also has a long and safe track record for use as an addiction treatment for alcohol.

The report provides insights about the repurposing of off-patent medicines, including how the drug regulation system and national bodies can support it and how to navigate the different routes that support access to repurposed drugs for NHS patients.